


Read To Me Riddles and Read To Me Rhymes

by Arboreal



Series: Corin's Audio Diary AU [2]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:34:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24655429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arboreal/pseuds/Arboreal
Summary: Takes place directly after Just Think of Me (As The Pages In Your Diary)Corin gets an explanation from Din and more besides.
Relationships: Corin the Stormtrooper (Rescue and Regret)/The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)
Series: Corin's Audio Diary AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782610
Comments: 27
Kudos: 232





	Read To Me Riddles and Read To Me Rhymes

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Read To Me by Jane Yolen
> 
> A big thank you to [dls](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dls/pseuds/dls) and to [cac0daemonia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cac0daemonia/pseuds/cac0daemonia) for beta-ing.
> 
> And of course, thank you to [LadyIrina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyIrina/pseuds/LadyIrina) for creating Corin and letting us play in their sandbox.

In a daze, Corin allowed himself to be guided by the Mandalorian into the tavern and over to a table near an entrance looking out onto the market square. Corin sank gratefully onto one of the wooden stools and set his rucksack beside him on the ground, watching silently as the Mandalorian signaled to one of the waitstaff before sitting down across from Corin and setting the child down on a stool next to him. All Corin could see over the top of the table was the fuzzy crown of the child’s head and its large ears as it turned this way and that to take in the bustling tavern.

The child’s meal and Corin’s ale arrived quickly. Corin grinned into his mug as he watched a pair of black eyes peer over the edge of the table at the small bowl of stew, followed by a pair of eager clawed hands and a mournful warble.

“Yes, I know, I never feed you,” the Mandalorian grumbled without heat, carefully handing the bowl down to the child. “Just be careful.” A moment later Corin heard the sound of contented slurping and munching.

The child settled, the Mandalorian turned to regard Corin. 

Corin lowered his eyes for a moment to study the mug of ale in his hands before taking a deep breath. Steeling himself, he looked up to meet the helmeted gaze.

“You know my name. You recognized me. But you aren’t after me. You said you could explain?” 

The Mandalorian watched him for a moment. Corin had no idea what the man was thinking behind the impassive beskar faceplate, but eventually the Mandalorian shrugged one shoulder. “The child and I spent a season on Choivun. We took shelter in one of the far outposts of the base. We found some of your belongings.”

Excitement and hope filled Corin’s chest so fast he could hardly breathe. “There were books. Three books,” he said, clutching tight to the mug in his hands in anticipation, “a book of poems, a book of fairytales, and a child’s adventure book. Do you … did you …”

“We have them,” the Mandalorian said quickly, “they’re on the ship. They’re undamaged. After we finish, I’ll give them to you.”

Corin closed his eyes and nodded, trying to hold himself together and not ruin whatever good opinion the other man might have of him. The relief at knowing his mother’s books, the last things he had of hers, hadn’t been lost nearly undid him, though. It took several minutes before he could swallow down the swell of emotion and look back at the Mandalorian who had turned his head away as if to give Corin a moment of privacy.

“Thank you,” Corin said, voice hoarse.

The Mandalorian turned back to him and inclined his head.

“Of course,” was his only response.

Corin saw the top of the child’s head and ears tilt back as the child looked up at the Mandalorian with a worried trill. 

“Everything’s fine, Ad’ika,” he said gently to the small creature. “Finish your stew.”

The child made a noise of agreement and Corin heard the child return to devouring its meal.

When the Mandalorian’s attention turned back to him, Corin cleared his throat and asked a little uncertainly, “So you recognized me from what I left at the outpost? I don’t remember having any pictures.”

“Not exactly,” said the other man. When Corin only frowned at him in confusion, the Mandalorian shifted in his seat like he was suddenly uncomfortable then sighed. “You left all those audio files on the datapad. I recognized your voice.”

Corin froze. “You listened to those?” he asked, incredulous. 

The Mandalorian just shrugged again. “The storms there frightened the kid. Your voice recordings helped calm it down. Got to the point it wanted me to turn them on whenever it went down for a nap.”

“Oh,” he breathed, his eyes wide. He couldn’t think of anything else to say. He hoped none of his ramblings had contained anything inappropriate for young ears. It was mortifying to think someone like the other man had heard many of his most embarrassing stories.

He was brought out of his whirling thoughts by the sound of ceramic against wood and the sight of small hands trying to push the bowl back onto the tabletop. The bowl was saved from toppling back onto the child by the quick reflexes of the Mandalorian. 

“Careful, Gremlin. You don’t want to wear that.” He placed the rescued bowl back onto the table. “Had enough?” The pair of ears nodded and the child cooed happily. “Well, come here, then.” The Mandalorian picked up the small being and placed it in the crook of his arm. 

Settled into the careful hold of his guardian, the child’s eyes lit up and it smiled when it caught sight of Corin now that the table was no longer in the way. Corin couldn’t help but smile back.

“I think the kid recognized my voice, too,” Corin said, grin faltering a bit when he glanced up at the Mandalorian before he switched his attention back to the child. “Is that why you were so friendly with me, kiddo? You didn’t seem scared of me at all. I guess I wouldn’t be very intimidating to anyone who knows the story about that time a bantha heard almost trampled my whole squad in training, huh?”

Corin felt his face heat up when he heard the Mandalorian’s chuckle accompany the child’s delighted giggle. It was embarrassing, but there was also a curl of pride in his chest that he could make someone with such a stern presence laugh. 

The child looked up at the Mandalorian from where it was being held and started babbling excitedly, pointing a clawed finger at Corin like it had in the marketplace. The Mandalorian turned his face down towards the child and seemed to listen for a few moments before replying gently in the same language he had spoken to the child in earlier. The child’s ears fell at the Mandalorian’s response and it made a sad warble. Corin felt horrible at the plaintive sound even though he didn’t know what was going on, only that it somehow involved him. 

The Mandalorian, obviously not unaffected by the child’s forlorn expression, held out for a moment before sighing deeply and adding a few more words. The child immediately brightened, smiling up at the Mandalorian before suddenly yawning widely. The Mandalorian snorted and looked back up at Corin.

“Time to get this one to bed.” The Mandalorian paused before continuing, “If you want, you can come to the ship with us, or I can bring your things back here.”

“I’ll come with you,” Corin replied quickly. He was sure the Mandalorian would have returned as he said, but now that he was so close to having his mother’s books back Corin didn’t want to take any chances. Swallowing down the last of his ale, he set his mug down and grabbed the straps of his rucksack. “Ready whenever you are.”

The Mandalorian nodded, setting credits on the table, and Corin soon found himself following the armor-clad figure with his child through the darkening streets towards the local spaceport. They made such an incongruous pair, the tiny, vulnerable being in the arms of such an intimidating warrior. And yet there was no denying the bond between them, how the child obviously trusted the fearsome bounty hunter and felt safe in his arms, or how the Mandalorian loved the child, caring for it with gentle hands and soft words.

It made Corin’s situation feel all the more lonely. 

Entering the spaceport, the Mandalorian led them to an older-model gunship. It looked a little rough and worn, like it had seen more than its fair share of action, but it also seemed well-cared-for, sturdy and reliable. A good ship, at least to Corin’s eye.

The Mandalorian typed something into the electronics on his vambrace and a gangway lowered from the side of the ship. He strode forward once the gangway touched ground, motioning for Corin to follow. Corin did so with no small amount of trepidation. For all the tenderness the Mandalorian had shown the child, and the kindness he’d shown Corin so far, it was something else entirely to step willingly into the stronghold of a member of one of the most storied and ruthless peoples in the galaxy. One that Corin’s former employer had helped to destroy.

Walking into the cargo hold, Corin watched apprehensively as the Mandalorian opened the pneumatic door to a small compartment that was filled with blankets and toys. The child’s sleeping area, then. The other man placed the child inside with a soft admonishment that Corin guessed was an instruction to stay put before turning away from the open compartment and walking through another doorway into a storage area. 

Left to his own devices for a moment, Corin looked around in furtive interest before his eyes fell on the child watching him with avid curiosity from its small compartment. Corin grinned and waved at the small creature. Ears perking up, the child waved back making Corin laugh quietly. 

He quieted quickly when the Mandalorian returned carrying a sturdy storage container. The other man set the storage container on the floor and knelt so he could unlock it, waving Corin closer.

“Your things are in here,” he said, standing up. He turned to face Corin, and Corin forced his eyes away from the storage container and up to meet the Mandalorian’s gaze. The other man paused, as if he wanted to say something, but after a moment just shook his head. “I’m going to get the Womp Rat cleaned up for bed. Take as long as you need.”

Corin watched him step away and pick up the child, carrying it down a hallway that must lead to the living areas, the small creature faintly protesting. When the two had disappeared around the corner, Corin looked back at the storage container, heart pounding in his ears. He slowly lowered himself to the ground and lifted the lid with shaking hands. There, packed along with his old clothes and the few odds and ends he’d had at the outpost, were his mother’s books.

He picked up the one on top, a slim book of poems he could remember his mother reading from many times before she had gifted it to Corin. Trembling fingers carefully opened the front cover and delicately traced the inscription inside. 

_My Dearest Corin, remember beautiful words can create beautiful worlds. Love, Mom._

Beautiful words had always been his mother’s escape, and one she’d done her best to pass on to Corin. He had so few memories of his mother, but most involved the two of them curled together in front of a book reading to each other. It had broken something in him when his father had thrown out her books like trash after her passing.

He gently set the book of poems in his lap and pulled out the next book, a collection of Twi’lek fairy tales translated into Aurebesh. He had loved these stories as a child, where if the hero or heroine was good and kind and clever and brave, they could overcome any danger. He had wanted to live in those stories, so different from the ruthless and disciplined life his father and uncle led and wanted Corin to someday would lead. As he got older, Corin had realized this book and others like it must have been his mother’s own small act of rebellion, quietly planting the seeds for something better in Corin when his father’s back was turned. He wondered if she would be proud to see what Corin had become, or disappointed.

Setting the Twi’lek fairy tales on top of the book of poems, Corin reached into the storage container to pull out the last. Although a children’s story, it had been his mother’s absolute favorite. Corin hadn’t understood at the time, it had seemed terribly sad to him when he was younger, but he thought he might understand better now. He opened the book to the first page and blinked back tears when he could almost hear his mother’s voice.

He startled badly when something nearby squealed, looking up to find the child, wispy hair still slightly damp and dressed in a tiny nightshirt, hurrying towards him on its short legs. Upon reaching Corin, it fell backwards onto its rump and looked up at him expectantly. Corin just looked back, uncertain about what was happening.

Their stare-off ended when the Mandalorian walked into the cargo hold, grumbling.

“Troublemaker! I turn around for one second and off you go. Where in the world did you get to this … ah,” the armor-clad man trailed off as he caught sight of Corin and the child.

Corin looked between the Mandalorian and the child and cleared the thickness from his throat. “I don’t … Can I help you with something, kiddo?”

The child just scooched closer to him, waiting eagerly for something.

“He wants you to read to him. I always read to him right before I put him down for the night. We’ve picked up more books, but yours are still his favorites. He must have seen you holding them and assumed you were the one reading tonight.” When Corin just stared at him dumbly, the other man sighed and shifted his weight uncomfortably. “You don’t have to, of course—”

“No. No, I’ll do it. I’m happy to,” Corin said softly, surprised at how much he wanted to do this. The chance to read this beloved book to another child, just like his mother had read it to him, seemed like a more fitting tribute to his mother than anything else he could think of. 

The Mandalorian nodded after a moment, crossing his arms and leaning against the bulkhead. Permission apparently given, Corin gave the child a shaky smile and started to read.

_“Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest …”_

It didn’t take long at all for the child to nod off, its head laying trustingly against Corin’s knee. Falling silent, Corin gently closed the book and laid it on top of the others in his lap. He felt more at peace in that moment than he had for many years. Strange that it was on an unknown bounty hunter’s ship that he felt this way.

The Mandalorian straightened and walked over, careful to pick up the child without waking it. Corin watched as he tenderly set the child into its sleeping compartment, covered it with one of the blankets, and closed the compartment door.

“Thank you for that,” the other man said quietly when he turned back to Corin.

Corin ducked his head, feeling self-conscious with the Mandalorian’s focus solely on him now that the child wasn’t there. “You’re welcome. It’s good that you read to him, my mother used to do the same for me.”

The Mandalorian was silent for a moment before Corin heard him walking closer. Corin scrambled to his feet and steeled himself for the man’s dismissal. Surely now that the Mandalorian had repaid Corin for his help when the child was lost, he would be eager to send the former stormtrooper on his way. No one wanted a living reminder of the fallen Empire around for long. 

“My people have a belief,” the Mandalorian said slowly, carefully, when he stopped nearby, looking out into the night through the still open gangway rather than at Corin, “that when you read aloud the written word, you are allowing the ancestors to borrow your voice to speak once more. Perhaps your mother speaks through you. Perhaps all your loved ones do when you tell their stories.”

Corin breathed in sharply, then squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his lips together tight, trying to hold in the sudden wave grief that overcame him. Grief for his mother, his friends, his team, all lost to him now. He had not spoken of them since jabbering away at that spare datapad in the lonely outpost on Choivun, had tried not to even think of them while he struggled to survive on his own in the unforgiving galaxy.

Only for their memories to come rushing back with the words of a stranger.

“I’m sorry,” the Mandalorian said softly.

Corin shook his head, though it took a few long minutes for him to force himself to breathe normally again. “It’s fine,” he said, rubbing a hand over his eyes and looking over to see the Mandalorian regarding him steadily. “That’s … It’s good. To remember people who are gone like that.”

The Mandalorian nodded once before looking back into the darkness. Corin sighed. After a few minutes more to collect himself, he reached for his rucksack to pack his mother’s books away.

“I should—” Corin began, only to be swiftly interrupted.

“Stay,” the Mandalorian blurted out. ”Come with us.”

Corin’s mouth dropped open in surprise, though he had no idea what to say.

“The galaxy isn’t safe for former Imperials,” the Mandalorian continued in a rush, as if he was afraid he wasn’t fast enough, Corin would leave. “You know that, you thought I was trying to collect a bounty on you earlier. Come with us.”

Corin shook his head, more in bewilderment than to disagree. “Why would you … You don’t even know me. Why would you want me with you? With your kid?”

“I know when it was a choice between your freedom and the child’s safety, you chose the child without flinching. I know you honor the ones you love who have passed.” The Mandalorian paused for a moment, then continued hesitantly. “I know you are alone, and you don’t want to be.”

Corin’s jaw snapped shut at that. It was true, after all. And listening to his lonely ramblings on that datapad must have made that more than obvious. 

Of everything he’d had to deal with the last few years, the loneliness had been the worst. No one to trust, no one to watch his back. Sometimes he missed his old team like he was missing a limb.

But maybe he could find something like that again. Maybe he didn’t have to be alone.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

The Mandalorian relaxed, releasing tension Corin didn’t even realize the man had been holding. The smile in his voice was obvious when he answered, even through the beskar helmet.

“Yes. Yes, I’m sure.”

Corin found himself smiling back.

**Author's Note:**

> For Narcoleptic Crow and Starshifting on the Din/Corin Discord who wanted baby and Corin reading together and angst, respectively. I hope you enjoyed the story!
> 
> If anyone would like to send me a prompt for this AU, leave a comment here or send me a message on [Tumblr](http://arboreal-elm-ash-oak.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> The book Corin is reading from is the English translation of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
> 
> The Mandalorian belief Din mentions is actually an ancient Greek belief mentioned in A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki.


End file.
